This tragedy, however, does not seem to have had a sobering effect on younger students.
More than 40 percent had five or more drinks at one time compared with 27 percent of the older students, the researchers found.
The study also found underage students were also significantly more likely to experience alcohol-related problems, such as engaging in unplanned sexual activity, damaging property, injuring themselves or being treated for alcohol overdose.
"I suspect that some of the problems with underage drinkers are the result of a combination of the daring and urgency factors in doing something that is prohibited, combined with inexperience," Lewis says.
One alcohol-related problem not associated with underage drinkers is drunk driving. They are half as likely to drive while intoxicated as those over 21.
Wechsler speculated that this might be related to zero-tolerance drunk driving laws aimed at under-aged drinkers.